Steering-gear for motor-machines.



No. 883,179. PATENTED MAR. 31. 1908. H. B'. DITWILER.

STEERING GEAR POR MOTOR MACHINES.

APPLICATION IILED HOV.`7,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 883,1`fz9`l Y PATENTE) MAR.. s1, 1908.

H. B. DITWTL'BR. V STEERING GEAR FOR MOTOR MACHINES.

APPLICATXON FILED NOV. 7,1907. g

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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, UNITED sTATEs-ii- TENT OFFICE.

HOMERIB. DITWILER, 'OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO LEWIS W.

. ROE, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

STEERING-GEAR Foa Moron-MACHINES Specicationf of` Letters Patent.

Patented March 31, 190s.

Application led November 7,1907.. Ne. 401,075.

To all froh-omit may concern.

Be it known that I, HoMnR BfDrrwrLiia, p

-Ohi'o,=l1ave invented a newzand 'useful.Im-,

provement Steering-Gear vfor Motor-Maftion'. f l, v p, l

. The object of lrnyvinvention is to provide a steering' ear for motor. machines in which the' degree o, looseness, commonlyv called play, oftheshaft, may be regulated by the'oper-` ator or entirely eliminated, if desired.

chilies, of which thefo'llowing is'a specica-A ytween the mit 18and sleeve 15 and shaft110 4A further object is to provide a means of operating two movable blocks upon. a right 'and'left wonni' shaft, in a steering gear, and tocausesaid` blocks tomove in diverse directions when v'the steering shaft is operated.

Afurther Objectis to provide a'cresc'ent kshaped yoke vadapted to be o erated hy'inovable blocks, as aforesaid, sait yoke being con- -nected with, and4 designed to' operate, thel l 22,'1which is-also provided with a'centrall steering levers.

VThe said sleeve v15 is provided, .on its outer; surface, with screw threadsudeslgned to en-v l Another 'object is to -provide all ofthe aforesaid means 1n a simple, strong, d .urable ,and inexpensive-construction. f'

My invention' consists of certain details offv construction hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims ,and illustrated in the ac# companying drawings in which y,

F1 4re I shows a front elevation view of my evice the near longitudinal side'ofthe l boxing' being removed, and4 a part of said 'i viewbeing in section.; Fig. II shows a trans- .l

verse "section .of 'the boxing taken' on the transverse.. broken line offFi I; and, Fig. 'IIIfshows a detail view of t e yoke I 'employ.- l. w vl Referring to the. accompanying drawings the reference numeral 10 is used to indicate lthe steeringl shaft of a motor car provided, near its. center, 'with an enlarged portion11 in which isa 'right and a left screw thread channel, 12-:and lrespecti'vely, saidchan' nels being exactly similar and pitched tothe 1same degree.' In the up er'surface of the enlarged ortion 11," an adjacent toV the shaft 10, have provided a groove designed to. receive'balls l14 for a bearing for an adjustable sleeve 15, provided on its under surface vwith a groove to receive the said balls.

. a packing 19.

orming a neckl for the boxing 16 w ich employ said boxing being designed toincase the enlarged ortion 11 of the shaft. AThe sleeve 15 1s loc "ed its position by a nut 1.7,

and I1 have providedalso a nut 18 to en ageV the upper inner portionof said sleeve an be- I have provided a space designed to receive The' boxing 1'6 is rectangular in conformation and extends below the enlarged portion 11 of the shaft, two of its longitudinal sides being curved inwardly at their base thus 0bviously forminga ,circular base 20, as illuswhich the sha t 10' is designed to project. Immediately above the circular base 20, and having its bearings-in the sides of the boxhave mounted, for radial movement, ayoke and the upperA portion of said yoke is concaved, for purposes'hereinafter set forth.

At the upper extremity of each longitudinalside I have mounted a'roller 23and'24, re-

spectively, said rollers projecting u wardl beyond their'respective sides. On t' e sha t 10, at the oint where it asses through the orifice 21, have mounte a-lock nut 25de-` -signed to engage a stu'i'ng box attachment,

secured to t e boxingfand to be-secured, l therein. t

' .The numerals 2.7 and 28 indicate movable blocks, mounted on opposite sides of the enlarged portion 11 of the shaft,the block Z'Zlbeingprovided-with a right pitched screw thread and the block 28' being provided with a' left pitched screw` thread,` said ,screw threads being l"designed to engage their`re-` s ective channels in thev'enlarged portion `11.

he base of each'- of said blocks. is pitched inwardly, toward vthe shaft, on a" down-v wardly inclined plane andfits under surface? fis slightly concaved, 'as shown at' 29 and 30 respectively.. The blocks are fso mounted The base of said.

vtrated inthe drawings, and in the center of the base I have rovided an orifice 21 through fing 16, which are not curved inwardly, I

on the shaft that their under surfaces are always in engagement with their respective rollers on the yoke 22 and when the said blocks` are directly opposite each other the yoke is designed to be resting in its normal position, its two rollers directly opposite and in line with. each other.-

On the inner surface of each of the longitudinal 4sides of the boxing 16, adjacent t'o the blocks 27 and 2S, I have provided a lug, 31 and 32 respectively, its inner face being beveled on an upwardly and outwardly inclined plane'V and between the said lug and its respective block I have mounted a plate, 38 and 34 respectively, its outer face being beveled in like mannento the lug but reversed thus obviously causing the two beveled sides to engage each-other. On the upper portion of each ofthe plates 33 and 34 I have secured, 'for rotary movement, a screw shaft 35 and36 respectively, its upper end being in engagement with a lock nut 37 and 38 respectively, on the upper surface of the boxing 16. B v this means it is obvious that the plates' 33 and 34 are adjustable.

Mounted on each of the longitudinal sides, at right-angles to the axis of the yoke 22, in such a manner that one of its lateral edge 'surfaces is engaging the inner portion of the lower extremity of the block 27 and its other lateral edge'surfacc is engaging the inner portionyof the lower extremity of the block 28, is an oblong lug 39 and 40 respectively, saidy lugs being exactly similar in every respect and designed as guides for the movable blocks, 27 and 28, at their lower extremities.

The boxing 16 is designed to be anchored to the machine and the lower end of shaft 10 is also designed to be anchored to the niachine and the steering levers aresecured to the shaft 41 of the yoke 22 said shaft protruding through an orifice in the boxing. Y

In practical operation when the driver turns the steering shaft 10, one of the blocks 27 or 2Sl will be forced downwardly against its respective side of the yoke'22 and at the same time the pressure upon the opposite side of the yoke, caused by the contact and rigid position of the o posite block, is re moved, as the said bloc moves upward and it is obvious that this will cause the said yoke to be moved, radially,'froin its bearings and it is equally obvious that this will cause the steering lever to be moved in a like inanner. It is obvious that a reverse move- .ment ofv the steering sha'ft will cause a re- "verse movement ol' the steering lever.

shaft.' lt is obvious that a variance of the space between the steering shaft. 1() and the said blocks will cause different degrees of play or lo'oseness in the steering mechanism.

rlhe shaft 1l.) is secured both above and below, in the boxing; as hereinbefore described and is adjustable, with relation to the boxing, by meansY of the adjusting sleeve 15. )is the yoke 22 is mounted in the boxing'l, as described,1it is obvious that adjustment of tht shaft 10 to the boxing will cause adjustment of the blocks 27 and 28 to the yoke 22.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat-` ent of the United States is:

' 1. In a steering gear for motor machines, a steering shaft formed with right and left screw threads, companion blocks having relatively opposite threads for engagement with the threads of said shaft, said blocks being formed with concave under faces and a yoke mounted for rocking movement and havingits ends free and in constant Contact with the corresponding concave under faces of said blocks.

2. In a steering gear for motor machines a casing having opposite inner faces oppositely inclined, a shaft having right and left threads, companion vblocks having relatively opposite threads for engagement with the threads ot said shaft, a rocking member actuated by said blocks, plates bearing against each and having their outer faces inclined correspondingly to' said respective inclined inner faces f with which they lie in contact and means for moving each plate in either direction along said. inclined inner faces.

3. In a steering gear for motor machines, the combination with alright and left thread ed steering shaft and movable blocks thereon and a yoke designed to be operated by said blocks a rectangular boxing curved at its base comprising in combination two longitudinal sides curved-at' their base, a rectangular lug mounted centrally on the inner porv tion near the lower end of each of said longitudinal sides, said lugs being directly opposite to each other .and designed to operate as companions, two other longitudinal side portions, provided 'with wedge shaped lugs on their inner surfaces, said boxing having an oirice centrally located in the top thereof all arranged and combined substantially as shown and described. Y 'i 4. A steering gear for motor machines comprising in combination a steering shaft provided with right and left screw threads; a boxing incasing said screw threaded portion; movable companion blocks within said-` boxing one designed to be operated by the: right screw threads and the other by left screw threads on the said 'steering shaft; said blocks each having inwardly inclined lower surfaces;

nj yoke concaved in itsl upper surface mountextremitiesymeans for adjusting the position ed in the said .boxing immediately below yand of the movable blocks on the said shaft, subbetween the said movable blocks, said yoke stantielly as shown and described.`

having en oriee centrally thereof; vrectsm- HOMER 'BDITWILER:

:i gulitr lugs mounted in thesuid boxing, in Witnesses:

such :t position as to cause them to be be- CHARLES CHEW, tween the sind movable blocks et their lower LOUIS R. STRAUB. 

